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FC Middlesbrough vs. Chelsea FC
A special weekend is just around the corner in England, as the FA Cup quarterfinal matches will be played on Saturday and Sunday. Among them are heavyweights like Man City, Liverpool and Chelsea. The latter has to play Middlesbrough on Saturday and thus has a supposedly easy task. But Boro should not be underestimated, because the team from the Championship has already knocked out Spurs in the round of 16.
The Blues, on the other hand, had a feasible opponent in Luton Town, but ultimately had a tougher time and won by a narrow 3:2. Now, of course, they are also the favorites in the quarterfinals. During the week, the champions of 2017 were able to assert themselves confidently in the round of 16 of the Champions League and are now waiting for the upcoming opponent. Whether we believe that the Blues will also prevail in the FA Cup, you can find out in this Middlesbrough – Chelsea tip.
Middlesbrough – Chelsea info:
– Date & Time: 19/03/2022, 18:15.
– Venue: Riverside Stadium (Middlesbrough).
– Competition: FA Cup, quarter-finals
– TV broadcast: In Livestream at DAZN
Middlesbrough Form & Balance Check
Boro is one of the most traditional clubs in England and players like Jimmy Floyd Hasselbank have made their money at the North East club. They are now spending their fifth consecutive season in the Championship and Middlesbrough have become more of a second-tier than a first-tier side.
They have been second-tier every year since 2009 except for the 2016/17 season, having previously spent 17 years in the top flight. Now they are fighting for promotion back to the Premier League and, on Saturday, a place in the semifinals of the FA Cup, which the club has never won in its long history.
Does the return to the Premier League succeed?
The promotion system in England is a little different than here in Germany. This is because the top two in the table are promoted directly, while third to sixth place determines the third promoted team in playoff matches. At the moment, Boro is in 7th place, with one point less than sixth place. Accordingly, the playoff spots are within reach. However, it will still be a long season and a tough fight. Middlesbrough will have to give their all in the season finale to qualify for the playoffs.
Middlesbrough facts & analysis
– They won the last game 2-0 against Birmingham.
– In the FA Cup so far they have eliminated Tottenham and Man United
– In their own stadium Boro have a points average of 2.11
Chelsea form & balance check
At the Blues, events off the pitch have dominated the headlines lately. For the Russian owner of the club, Roman Abramovich wants to sell the club due to the Ukraine war. But in the meantime, his assets in England have been frozen and of course, this affects the club as well. Both transfers may not be made and tickets to external buyers are no longer offered. In addition, the oligarch cannot sell the club at the moment, which puts Chelsea in a very unpleasant position. Currently, the future of the club is unclear.
Sportingly, the season has been satisfactory
After a very promising start to this season, the team has had to drop off at the national level. With one game less they are eleven points behind the league leader, accordingly the race for the championship is lost. However, they are in the quarterfinals of the top flight and Chelsea can still win everything in the FA Cup. Recently, the form has been on the rise again and the Blues have won the last five competitive games in a row. Should the sixth follow on Saturday, they would be in the semifinals of the cup.
Chelsea facts & analysis
– Won 9 of their last 10 competitive games.
– On Wednesday they won against Lille with 2:1
– In the league, the Blues have always scored in 9 of their last 10 games
Predicted lineup – last update on March 17, 2022
While the home side don’t really have any reason to change anything after the win against Birmingham during the week, Chelsea will probably have rotations. As usual the second goalkeeper will play in the cup and also otherwise some players like Chalobah, Sarr, Kenedy and Loftus-Cheek are starting candidates. Werner and Lukaku should also get another chance from the start.
Middlesbrough – Chelsea direct comparison & stats
The two have faced each other in a total of 94 competitive matches so far, with the overall comparison going relatively clearly to the Blues. 45 times Chelsea could decide the action for themselves, 24 times Boro had the better end for themselves.
– In the FA Cup, Chelsea has won twice in 2 encounters so far.
– The last 7 direct duels have all been won by Chelsea
– In all 7 matches Boro failed to score
